I was excited to hear the podcast because they start off saying don’t do anything you can’t do forever. I’ve heard enough and read enough to know that there’s probably nothing new In going to learn but you never know. Then they mentioned macros and I was like oh.. . Maybe I’m just a bit burnt out but with a stressful career and a 9 month old getting training in in general is a win. Much less adding that to the plate. But I see that’s a me issue as many others have no issues with it.
I’ve also learned that me at my lightest is not me at my strongest so I did agree when they said your body finds its place.
No, there’s really not when we’re talking about the tiny margins being recommended these days for weight loss. 300 to 500 cals off is an easy slip and that’s the difference between a day that you stay on target and a day that you’re off.
I’ve sort of implemented Dr. P’s recommendations without micromanaging everything. I intermittently fast on days with no morning workouts and watch my carbs on days that are easy days. On my hard days I will eat more carbs the evening before and the meal before my hard workout. I supplement with whey protein to make sure I am upping my protein intake. That’s it and I have lost about 10 pounds in 2 months.
couldn’t disagree with this comment, or any of your other comments, more. you “waste your time” logging because you want accurate and measurable results..why else would you do it? you are talking to a forum of people who use data to inform many other aspects of their training through a power meter or HR strap or TSS, CTL, etc etc. i couldn’t recommend a period of food tracking more if you are considering taking your training or weight loss seriously.
There’s no one size fits all in terms of tracking in my opinion. I’ve been doing it for years and really don’t see the big deal about it. On the other hand, my better half has tried it and it wrecks her head.
Personally, I weigh when I can (which is most of the time), estimate when I can’t. That’s only one variable in the calories in v calories out - calories out isn’t 100% accurately measurable either. My steps/ NEA may look the same, but then could be flat v stairs; carrying shopping v just carrying myself etc etc.
I’ve tracked on and off for years - sometimes down to the nitty gritty but mostly just pretty good. What I can say is that I don’t think food labels have ever thrown me off in terms of cutting weight so that IME is doesn’t mean anything. Consistency is king. In order to get your weight down, you need at least two weeks of consistent behavior to see changes if your body is a bit stubborn. There’s always the initial water weight loss, then after that part your body needs to adjust over time for the loss to occur if you are on a gradual weight loss schedule. I’m guessing the Dr’s recommendations pretty much closely resemble a periodized weight loss schedule and adjustments are made when milestones are achieved. I’m a fan of similar foods and that makes it easy to track. A banana, an apple are about 100-130 kcal depending on size. 4 oz dry pasta = 400 kcal, one container of lowfat greek yogurt = 130. You get the picture. I let my app add up the calories and macros and that works for me. From experience I also now my calorie ranges for maintenance and cutting. I’ve never done a weight gain cycle because that just happens automatically every year during the holidays.
I have used MFP in the past, but without any real rationale behind it. Started again with the intention of using it to target Pfaffenbach numbers for macros and my target weight (thanks AJS914 for the formulae)
I’ve just been tracking my normal diet so far before working out the changes i need to make. It’s been really useful.
I find that i am overshooting my carbs, and lowballing the fats and protein numbers. So I need to rethink my daily diet quite a bit to get to a sensible macro set up.
Have been thinking that i need to reduce carbs a fair bit, and then yday reduced quite a bit and failed half way through a sweet spot session, so i need to spend a bit more time making sure I’m making the right changes in a more structured way.
But actually having a methodology to guide my changes is real helpful, and hopefully this will result in some long-term weight loss instead of the faddy intermittent fasting I’ve done before.
Combined with TR improvements in FTP I am looking forward to previously unimagined increases in my Ws/kg
Just wanted to share what has worked for me. I picked up cycling again around 20 months ago and just today reaching a “normal” BMI for my height, total loss of about 50 pounds. Plenty of plateaus along the way and still working on losing another 15 or so to help with racing/hills. Here is what I’ve done for diet:
No alcohol - Irish blood and this has been the hardest. Through tracking my sleep stats I learned the negative effect drinking has on my sleep quality/quantity. I will only drink rarely, maybe once a month and try to keep it to just one drink. I’ll often turn down even just a glass of wine. There is probably the added benefit of not getting the late night drunchies and eating a fourth meal.
Quality sleep - I aim for at least 8 hours, 9 is better. I try not to workout or eat too close to bedtime.
Drinks - usually just water when I’m thirsty. No soda/pop or sugary drinks. Occasionally some juice if I’m feeling the craving for it. 1-2 coffees per day with almond milk and pure maple syrup (the stuff that comes out of the maple tree, not the fake maple flavored corn syrup). Skratch mix allowed on rides longer than 1 hour.
Foods - I don’t really restrict anything but try to take it light on fried stuff, cakes, cookies, basically anything with trans fats. Also try to avoid anything with too much added sugar. Generally light on dairy as well. I pay attention to portions and try not to overeat. That has gotten easier as I’ve lost weight, I find I can eat less and feel full. If I’m loading up a plate I try to go heavy on veggies as they can help with feeling full. Generally prefer to eat whole/fresh foods over ultra-processed.
Protein - I’m nowhere near what’s recommended by Kyle but try to include it in every meal. I could probably use more.
Snacks - I’ve been doing a lot of peanut butter lately to try to get my protein up. PB on a sliced banana, or on a toasted English muffin. A piece of fruit is usually good for an hour or two of energy, whatever is in season.
Workout nutrition - usually a stinger waffle before, and on workouts longer than 90 minutes a stinger waffle every 45 minutes or so. I’m pretty low on the carbs per hour and need to find ways to increase that. Skratch mix as mentioned above on longer rides, and Skratch recovery drink immediately following hard efforts.
Cycling has been nice both as a calorie burner and a motivator to stick to a healthier diet. Every time I’ve gotten dropped in a group ride on a hill climb, or had a poor race, or seen a KOM improvement has been a nice kick in the butt to keep going. Really happy to have found the sport in my 40s.
Would it be possible to make them more accurate? Do you think the errors are normally distributed, consistently biased in one direction, or something else?
Nerd Alert: I doubt it. I remember from my undergraduate days (many decades ago) that a sample is put into an oxygen rich environment and burned, within a tank of water. You measure the change in the water temperature to calculate the energy that was in the sample.
I would expect that two different samples of any organic material could vary considerably; I think that is the point of the 20% “grace”. An actual scientist could probably explain it it better.
